


Golden Complex

by IvoryPlains



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, F/M, Male Solo, Rival Relationship, Sexual Fantasy, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-09-26 01:13:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20381233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvoryPlains/pseuds/IvoryPlains
Summary: A number of spicy interactions focusing on F Byleth and Claude chronologically throughout the series. Maybe a few other pairings peppered in; we'll see. Spoilers will be noted at the beginning of each chapter.





	1. A Breath in the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Byleth realizes her favorite student fantasizes about her how does she react? Maybe his feelings aren't so one-sided...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This insert takes place on 12/31 of the first year. Minor spoilers for the Claude/Goddess Tower scene during the ball.

Claude lay atop his bed in the dorm staring up at the ceiling. The moment he and Byleth had shared at the goddess tower was fresh in his mind. He was proud of himself for being so bold, and ashamed for not being bold enough. _Share that future with you…_ he had been so close to saying what he really meant and at the last minute had choked it back. It was too soon. Now wouldn't be the right time...he could wait till after graduation.

It had all started so innocently. The casual flirting seemed to not phase her in the least. Whenever he leaned into her personal pace and winked she would smirk, giving a look that seemed to say he was pushing a line...but she'd allow it. After all there couldn't be much difference in age between them. Maybe she had thought it was harmless too. Just a student in puppy love who might pay more attention in class if she indulged him. If so they had both been wrong. 

Dancing with Byleth had been intoxicating. He had barely resisted the urge to kiss her when they drew close in the steps of the dance. Her scent still lingered on his jacket and he breathed in longingly. She had been in his dreams lately and those dreams had begun to penetrate his daytime thoughts. He wanted to know if her lips were as soft as he'd imagined… if when her hips rolled into him she would moan the way he fantasized she did. Claude's hand casually reached for the bulge in his pants to adjust himself. It was warm in the room and his clothes were stifling. That's what he told himself as he stripped off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt. He threw his legs over the side of the bed resting his feet on the floor. Unbuttoning his trousers with one hand Claude leaned on the other as he stroked himself slowly…

He closed his eyes and thought about her straddling him. He grinned as he imagined her soft cry of pleasure as his tongue toyed with her nipple pinned between his teeth. She rode him hungrily in his daydream. He met each roll of her hips with a thrust that brought a breathy moan from her lips. As she slowed in her climax he'd play with her jewel, teasing out a scream of ecstasy as she tightened even more around him and brought him there with her. 

He sucked in air through his teeth in an attempt to stay quite as he felt himself cross the threshold. Biting his lower lip he tried to hold himself back as long as he could. Giving in to the sweet euphoria Claude threw his head back. "Oh fuck yeah..." he groaned, heedless of how loud he was in his moment of bliss, "...oh yeah Teach." Collapsing back onto the bed Claude grinned like a fool. One day he would make his dreams a reality. He could be patient until then.

* * *

Byleth had been walking back to her room alone as she passed Claude's door. The muffled sound of a sharp intake of breath made her pause. It reminded her of the sound a man made when a blade slipped through his torso. A quick sudden breath of air as the feeling hit, before the pain and blood had a chance to seep in. Byleth reached for the hilt of her sword stepping quickly to Claude's door. She would kill whoever was stupid enough to attack her student right under her nose. The door was closed tight but the old wood had warped and there were plenty of cracks to peer through as she began to draw her blade. 

Glancing through a knot hole just in time, Byleth's eyes widened as she saw Claude sitting on the edge of his bed, head back in ecstasy as thick wet ropes shot from him and coated the floor. Her jaw dropped open. "Oh fuck yeah...oh yeah Teach." He groaned between gasping breaths. She could feel her cheeks reddening as she stared at him through the door. Shirt unbuttoned to reveal his perfectly toned chest, hair even more disheveled than usual. He looked divine. Byleth shifted uncomfortably as Claude collapsed back onto the bed; fully spent, he heaved a long sigh. It must have only been seconds but for what seemed like an eternity Byleth stared at the young lord lying there, bare chest heaving. She licked her lower lip and bit it as she struggled to form a thought. Byleth could feel her body growing warm. As she shifted her weight uncomfortably she became aware of an embarrassing amount moisture pooling in her small clothes. Without thinking she sheathed her sword and reached for the door handle.

"Would you keep it down over there Claude?" Sylvain's voice was so sudden that Byleth nearly jumped out of her skin. "Some of us are trying to sleep." Moving quietly Byleth half ran past Sylvain's room and slipped into her own. As the door closed behind her she leaned against it in shock.

She heard Sylvain's door open. The sounds of loud whispering a few rooms over was too muffled to understand but it was clear he was arguing with Claude. 

_ Oh fuck yeah Teach. _ Byleth blushed deeper as the phrase floated into her mind, her imagination changing it, adding extra cadences to the "oh" to draw it out more. _ No _ she told herself _ I'm his professor. I'm not allowed to have those thoughts. _

There was nothing unusual about what she had witnessed. Claude was a young man and it was totally reasonable for him to have urges like that… really she should be flattered to be the object of his fantasies. _ I'm kidding myself if I think that's all it is. _ Though he hadn't said he felt this way in the tower, there had been more than just hints for a long time now. While sharing tea together he would say something flirtatious and instead of wink and laugh it off like he would around the others, Claude would just smile, staring deep into her eyes. When they'd danced he'd leaned in toward her more than once as if he was going to kiss her, before pulling away suddenly with a look of embarrassment. Then atop the goddess tower she saw him biting back words as he spoke. Now she wished he'd have said them. _ You're both adults and should be free to want what you want. _ A part of her mind yelled. _ He's your student. _ The other part countered. _ It wouldn’t be proper! _Was that why he waited? Did he plan to hold back until graduation? 

Unbidden an image popped into her mind: of herself straddling the young lord as he cried her name. His fingers digging into her flesh as he rolled them so he was above her, gripping her hands in his own to hold her from squirming as he thrust deep inside her. She shook her head to dispel the image. Sleep. She needed sleep. The morning would bring a level head. Maybe she could move around the room assignments. After all, Sylvain's nightly escapades were getting harder to ignore. It would be nice for a quiet night's sleep for once. As Byleth laid in bed waiting for sleep to take her she allowed her mind to drift back to thoughts of Claude and she started to doze off with a smile on her face.

* * *

"Are you fucking insane? Anyone in the courtyard could hear that." Sylvain’s voice was hushed but angry as he stepped into Claude’s room.

Claude glared up at Sylvain from the floor as he cleaned up his mess, looking every bit like a scolded puppy. "You're one to talk. Everyone can hear you carrying on most nights."

"I'm not fantasizing _ out loud _ about the professor." He growled, "It would be rude to call out one woman's name while I'm pleasuring another. No, I keep that up here." He tapped his temple and shook his head. "You just made seducing her to my room ten times harder by the way. Thank you for that." The house leader snorted a laugh and Sylvain rolled his eyes, "What? Did you think no one else noticed how hot our professor is? I switched classes for a chance at that ass."

Claude shot him a look with raised eyebrows, as he stood, "Like you'd ever have a shot."

"Less of one now." Sylvain shook his head, running a hand through his hair, "That little show you just put on is going to have her guard up around all of us for the rest of the year." Sighing he added under his breath. "And I was so close to a tangible connection with her too."

Claude froze. It was hard to tell with his tanned skin but Sylvain thought the blood drained from his face. "She heard me?"

"More likely she saw the whole thing." Sylvain laughed dropping on the bed and nodding towards the door. "There's a knot hole in your door with a perfect view to your bed. It’s where I saw her standing when I opened my door." Claude swore, looking away to hide the colour flooding his cheeks. “Look Claude, she doesn’t know I saw her. She’d probably be mortified if the other students found out. I think she thought you were in trouble or something. She had her hand on her sword," _before she almost walked into your room. _Sylvain kept that last bit of knowledge to himself. "For all our sakes we should pretend this never happened and you should learn to keep your voice down.”

Claude let out a sigh of relief, “Thanks Sylvain, you’re a great friend.”

“Rival.” He corrected, “I know my way around the ladies and our professor is no different. I _ will _make her scream my name before the school year is out.”

Claude’s hand balled in a fist as he stood staring at the wall, deliberately not facing Sylvain. “Teach is very different from those _ girls _ you entertain yourself with Sylvain. If she decides you’re worth her time then I’m happy for you. She won’t pick you in the long run though. I’ve decided: whether my dreams come to fruition or not, more than I want anything else in this world: I want her beside me.”

“Well good luck to you.” The monastery bells sounded in a rhythm that indicated an attack. “I guess we’d better go find out what’s happening.” Sylvain stretched as he stood. “Shame. Annabella was supposed to come by anytime now.”

Claude rolled his eyes as he threw on his leather armor, “Go get your gear. We can’t keep Teach waiting.” Opening the door, he found the professor already walking through the courtyard. 

She noticed him and looked away quickly. It took her less than a second to turn back fully composed. “We need to go find out what’s happening. Gather the class and meet me at the gate. I’ll have our instructions.”

Claude offered a cocky salute in response, “Gotcha Teach. You can count on me!”

At the sound of her nickname Byleth lost her composure and her face flushed deeply. Claude felt his heart plummet. Then she gave him that smirk of hers; the one that said _I'll allow it_, and out loud in a whisper that he wasn't sure he was meant to hear she said; “I always will Claude.” In that moment his heart soared.


	2. Something Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a heartbreaking loss on the battlefield Byleth experiences battle shock. Two of her students have differing opinions on what she needs to help her recover...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I'm sure a number of you saw this coming...  
Takes place on 12/31 or 1/1 of your first year at the monastery. Major plot spoilers if you aren't there yet.
> 
> Actually, if you aren't there yet... what are you doing reading fanfiction already? Go play the game!

Byleth felt numb as the rain began to fall across the battlefield. Jeralt was already cooling in her arms when Claude reached them. He stretched out his hand, cupping Byleth's chin and turning her head away from her father lying in front of her. "There's nothing more you can do." He said. "Let us take him from here Teach." Byleth blinked water out of their eyes and nodded. Jeralt wasn't the only loss on the battlefield today and her students needed her to put on a strong face. 

Raphael and Claude worked together to lift Jeralt’s body onto a horse’s back. Byleth had to turn away as they gathered ropes to tie him on. Leonie was crying quietly beside Marianne but otherwise they were silent, which suited Byleth just fine. They had all survived the battle, but the Knights of Seiros had taken several losses besides her father.

She had tried to save him. She had tried again and again. At first Byleth had been certain there was a way he could live. She pulled back time over and over, trying different ways to see him through alive. Nothing had worked. She had done it for what felt like hours. It was a wonder how she had managed to use the power so many times. Hundreds of failed attempts; hundreds of times watching her father die in front of her. In the end she suspected burning rage was what had propelled her forward until there was none left. She was exhausted now; it felt like there was no emotion left inside her. No anger, no sadness, just a sense of bleak inevitability as the rain poured down around them.

“Teach it’s time to go.” She blinked back to reality as Claude appeared at her side. How long had she been standing there? What had she been thinking about? She blinked more water out of her eyes and nodded, letting him take her by the arm and guide her back inside the monastery walls.

Inside she could distantly hear Rhea directing the knights to take the bodies of the fallen so they could be prepared for burial. It occurred to her that her father would hate being stuck in the monastery for all eternity. That brought a morbid chuckle to Byleth’s lips. It broke the seal on her emotions and they all bubbled to the surface. 

“Claude,” her voice cracked as she spoke, “I need you to take me to my room.” He was walking with her before she finished speaking. Byleth was relieved he understood; she didn’t want the other students to see her like this. Once they turned a corner she began shaking as she whimpered softly. By the time they reached her room her shoulders were heaving with wracking sobs. He didn’t say a word as he guided her into her room. 

The door closed and his arms wrapped around her: one around her waist, the other across the small of her back burying his hand in her hair. A distant voice pointed out that this was wildly inappropriate but she didn’t care. 

They stood like that for a moment before Claude spoke, “I know you probably want to fall apart right now,” his voice was calm and comforting as he whispered in her ear, ”but first we both need to get dried off and into some clean clothes.” 

Byleth looked down as she took a deep shaky breath. The two of them were creating a small puddle where they stood. Her sobs had slowed but she was still a hot mess. She hated that Claude was seeing her like this but she was more grateful that he was there. “My towels are in the bottom drawer on the right. Clothes are top right.” Squeezing her reassuringly Claude let go and made his way across the room, careful to avoid dripping as much as possible.

“Here,” he handed her a towel and laid another across the puddle on the floor, “I’m going to go to my room to change and I’ll be right back. Leave your armor on the towel here and I’ll see to it when I get back okay?” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. That distant voice told her again that this was crossing a line but she didn’t care. “I promise I’ll be right back.” Despite that promise she felt a mild panic as the door clicked shut behind him. 

With an unsteady breath in and out Byleth focused on the task at hand: dry and change. She could do this. She felt the chill of her room as she removed her armor and underclothing. Her arms had goosebumps as she toweled herself dry. Realizing Claude hadn’t gone into her clothing drawer she walked over to the dresser and pulled it open. She barely looked as she grabbed an oversized night shirt from the front of the drawer and pushed it shut again. Then she dropped herself onto her bed and stared out at nothing. Minutes or hours had passed when Claude’s knock came at the door. She muttered “come in” without realizing that the shirt she had chosen was still in her hands, sitting in her lap.

She turned her head as Claude walked in and froze, staring at her in dumbfounded awe. His mouth moved but words didn't come out. It wasn’t until he finally looked away, cleared his throat and asked, “Aren’t you cold?” that she realized her mistake.

“Yes,” she blushed, pulling the shirt over her head and then wrapping her thickest blanket around her for good measure, “freezing actually. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“You’re in shock,” Claude’s voice sounded casual but he had his back to her as he crouched stiffly to pick up a piece of her armor, “Feelings of disconnect and numbness are to be expected after a soldier suffers a traumatic experience on the battlefield. They will also likely experience mood swings and confusion. They may withdraw from others which could be detrimental to their recovery. Regular exercise and time with friends is recommended to ease recovery time.”

“Don’t quote my own lectures back to me.” She threw a pillow at him striking the back of the head. 

Laughing Claude placed it on the floor and sat on it facing her as he dried off her armor one piece at a time. “Frankly you should be flattered I remembered Teach. It means you're doing a great job.” 

“Am I?” Her voice quavered.

“You are Teach.” Claude’s voice left no room for disagreement as he looked back to the pauldron he was drying, smiling as he worked. “You’re doing better than great. I’ve learned so many things from my time with you. So have the others. Hilda is still lazy, but she's learned to stand on the front lines in battle and be the one others depend on. Ignatz has found more courage to paint around people since you commissioned that landscape of the mountains at dawn. Lorenz...well, he's less of a pretentious ass than he used to be. Raphael is actually able to grasp battle tactics now...need I go on?" She smiled softly and shook her head. He had made his point. They sat there in a comfortable silence as Claude dried her armor one piece at a time. 

Not looking Claude reached down for another piece of armor and instead his hand found her under clothes. “Damn Teach...” Claude muttered eyes wide. They were dark blue and lacy; she had bought them to wear at the ball. They hadn't been meant for anyone, just herself. Claude turned them over in his hands, his thumb rubbing the crotch of the damp material. His face coloured when he realized what he was doing. Hanging his head, he held them out to her. "Teach I'm going to need you to take these away from me before I do something more perverted."

“I’m so sorry.” Springing from her blanket Byleth snatched them out of his hands and hung them over the back of her desk chair to dry. "I can't believe I just dropped them like that. I could die of embarrassment right now."

Jeralt. A poor choice of words. 

The tears were back in an instant and almost as quickly Claude was holding her again. He didn't say a word as her chest heaved against him between each scream she unleashed into his shoulder. He just held her and stroked her hair. Byleth didn't know how long they stood like that, but as her sobs subsided she lifted her head to look into his eyes. "Thank you," her voice was hoarse. She leaned into him and brushed her lips against his in a brief kiss.

"Anytime Teach." His voice was low and comforting but it had taken on a husky quality. He cleared his throat, eyes darting from her underclothes, across the room to her bed. "I...I should get going if you'll be okay. It isn't a good idea for me to be here right now." He was such a good man. Always thinking about what was proper but never pretending it was what he wanted.

"I don't want you to go." Byleth pushed her body tighter against his and she felt him stir against her. "I want to feel something...good in my life right now." Her cheeks deepened as she tried to pull him towards the bed.

Claude planted his feet firmly and would not budge. "Teach," his voice was forceful as he pulled her back to look him in the eyes, "I want you, all of you. More than I've wanted almost anything in my life...but not like this." Her eyes pooled as he cupped a hand against her cheek. "You're in pain, your emotionally distressed, and I know you would regret this after." Claude let out a breathy laugh, "That being said I am quickly reaching a point where I won't be able to say no to you; so I need to go. Now." 

He leaned in to kiss her forehead once more but she grabbed his head and lifted her own to intercept. Byleth’s lips were urgent and pleading against his and Claude melted into her as he kissed her back. When he tried to pull away Byleth nibbled his lower lip earning a soft moan. “Please stay.” She whispered.

Claude tried to tell her no. She could see his lips moving but the words wouldn’t come out. Byleth tried to kiss him again and he found the willpower to pull his head away… barely. She adapted, gripping his hair roughly with her left hand, she guided his head back so she could pepper his neck with painfully delicious kisses. She found a sensitive spot right below his ear and he groaned as she nibbled and sucked at his skin there, “Byleth... please don’t fucking tease me like this…” Claude’s voice was desperate and breathless. The way he moaned her name only fueled her fire. She nibbled his earlobe before running her tongue along the length of his ear. She blew lightly making him shiver before whispering “Please stay," again. 

* * *

If she had reached out and touched him through his tented trousers Claude knew he would have been helpless to refuse. He teetered at the edge of his willpower wishing for her to break him. “I’m sorry Byleth,” he pulled her close and breathed in the smell of her, “I can’t. Not yet.” Then kissing her once more on the head, he left her there. Alone.

Claude exhaled loudly as he stepped out into the courtyard. She had kissed him! Well sure _ technically _he had kissed her first, but that was on the forehead. She had kissed him on the lips… and then some. He needed to be careful. The barriers between them were crumbling too quickly and at this point he didn’t see how he would make it to graduation without creating a scandal for the two of them. Not that he really thought anyone else should care. It was none of their damn business. He hated being the heir to a powerful house.

“Should she really be alone right now?” Sylvain was leaning against the wall by his room, voice full of concern. “Isn’t isolation supposed to be bad for someone coping with battle trauma?” 

Claude hated that the other lord was right. “I can’t be there for her right now. She wants something I can’t give her… and if I stayed I would have done something we both would regret later.”

Looking down Sylvain noted Claude’s tented pants with a raised eyebrow. “You’re telling me she propositioned you and you ran away?” Sylvain asked incredulously. “She asked you for physical comfort and you-fucking-left-her-there? Alone?” Claude didn’t answer. Sylvain wouldn’t understand. “You’re an idiot. That’s the only explanation.” Pushing off the wall Sylvain put a hand on Claude’s shoulder as he walked past. “If you’re leaving her in her time of need, I _ am _ going in there. I’ll offer _ whatever _type of comfort she needs from me.” He looked Claude dead in the eyes, “Are you okay with that?”

Claude resisted the urge to punch Sylvain in the nose. “If you take advantage of her…”

“It isn’t taking advantage if she asks you moron.” Sylvain hissed in his ear. “She knows what she wants. Her world is shattering around her right now and she wants to feel alive for a moment.” He took a deep breath and squeezed Claude’s shoulder before releasing it. “I won’t touch her unless she asks me to. My code may be different from yours but that doesn’t mean I don’t have one. Go and get your shit together.” He told Claude, knocking on her door, “I’m not equipped to help her through this in the long run but I can stand in for you tonight.”

As the professor’s door opened and then closed behind Sylvain, Claude fought back a wave of jealousy. Sylvain was right after all; they didn’t follow the same moral code and he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Still. Claude couldn’t help but think about what would have happened if he had stayed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a chapter called "Something Good" I feel like there was not much good going on... ah well. Next chapter is just going to be smut. Smutty smut smut.


End file.
